Nothing Left
by Eluminadia
Summary: A new recruit at the SGC
1. Chapter 1

Colonel Jack O'Neill looked up over the edge of the file he was reading to find Daniel stood in front of his desk. He lowered the file giving his team mate and expectant look.

"Whatcha doing?" asked Daniel, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Jack grimaced and handed the file to Daniel, rubbing his hands over his face before returning his eyes to Daniel.

"Captain Blake. 26 years old. Hand to hand level 3 advanced, posting in Bosnia, outstanding career with the air force so far." Daniel sat down, closing the file and replacing it on Jack's desk "So?"

"Captain Blake will be joining SG1 for a few months while Carter's away playing with the Tok'ra. Hammond thinks it'll be the best way to break in our new recruit"

"So?"

"Captain Blake is related to General Blake. He was my CO way back before the SGC, I always thought he was completely incompetent"

Daniel laughed, taking in the look of complete disgust that crossed his friends face.

"Don't write the poor Captain off. It might be better than you think, that file's quite impressive"

Jack raised his eyebrows "A little too impressive don't ya think"

Daniel laughed again "Wanna get something to eat?"

*******

She wriggled gently trying to slide from beneath the heavy arm that pressed her into the mattress, eager for a quick escape and hoping not to wake him. His breath stank of whisky and cigarettes. Squirming downwards she slipped silently from beneath him, wincing as she twisted her body, a particularly nasty bruise on her ribs causing her body to ache. 'Although' she thought as she gather her clothes stuffing them into a duffle bag 'I got off lightly this time, it could have been a hell of a lot worse' She slipped quietly from the house slinging her bag over her shoulder and rolling her motorbike down the drive. Waiting until she was a good distance from the house before mounting the bike and, throwing one last sad look at her house, gunned the engine.

"Goodbye Brain" she whispered.

******

Jack stretched slightly as he slammed the door of his truck, raising a hand to greet the guards at the gate. A shiny black motor bike slid into the space next to his truck, its leather clad rider tugging the helmet from their head. Jack gasped as a shock of long almost white blonde hair fell over the supple black leather creating an interesting contrast in the morning sunlight. She turned to look at him, swinging her leg and sliding off the bike. She had a cute face, piercing green eyes and full red lips making it beautiful. Her body was small but well formed, her head barely reaching his shoulder, but the tight leather giving away the promise of firm muscles and luscious curves. With a little embarrassment he realised that he was grinning like an idiot, he shook his head; she looked barely old enough to be out of high school. She returned his smile easily.

"Good morning"

He didn't have chance to answer before she strode away towards the entrance of the mountain. He caught up to her in the lift and returned her greeting.

"Good morning"

When the elevator stopped the both stepped out and parted ways, he heading towards Hammond's office and her in the other direction. He glanced over his shoulder taking in the smooth sway of her hips and she strolled down the corridor.

******

General Hammond looked up at the knock on his door. Not bother to grant permission for the knocker to enter as Jack was already half way through the door.

"Colonel"

"Our new playmate arrived yet?"

"Not yet. Captain Blake will be arriving this afternoon. I want to see SG-1 in the briefing room at 16:00 hours"

Jack scowled, but nodded before making to leave the room.

"Play nicely Colonel" Hammond warned, a small grin on his lips.

******

Jack huffed in frustration, looking through the door of his office at the desk piled high with paperwork. With Carter away playing with Tok'ra doohickeys and gadgets missions had been few and far between and yet the amount of paperwork that had accumulated was surprising. Jack glared at it, hoping that it would burst into flames.

"O'Neill" Jack grinned

"Hey T good to see ya. Whatcha doing?"

"I am due to meet with SG-9 to partake in a sparring session. Do you wish to join me?"

"Best offer I've had all day"

"A new member will be assigned to our team this afternoon. This is correct?"

"Yeah, only for a few months till Carter gets back. Captain Blake"

"I am sure that the Captain will gain much experience through working with SG-1, and we in turn will be able to return to our usual schedule of missions."

Jack looked up at Teal'c taking in the small smile that had appeared on the bigger mans lips. He was forced to return the smile. Teal'c had sensed his reluctance to have someone invading the tight knit relationship of his team and had stated the facts in a way that he knew would please him. He had a point of course; Jack was itching to get back into the field.

They arrived at the gym and Jack took in the closing door, pushing it open again to be met by the well formed back of the girl from the parking lot, covered only by a short cut off t-shirt. Her shorts were only an inch too long to hide her ass and she appeared to have miles of beautifully sculptured legs stretching out beneath them. He was about to greet her when the members of SG-9 became aware of her presence and began a series of hoots and wolf whistles. Major Smith approached her slowly, a sickening grin plastered on his face. Jack could see the blush creep round her cheeks and down her neck.

"I'm here for the sparring session" she said

"How about a little one on one with me" growled Major Smith reaching out to touch her arm.

Jack tensed to protect her, but with moves almost as fast as his own she had Major Smith face down on the floor, his arm wrenched behind him and her knee pressing into his back. Jack smiled

"Interesting"

On hearing his voice both Major Smith and parking lot girl looked up in surprise. She released the Major from her hold and he rose slowly rubbing his wrist.

"Let's see what else you can do" Jack challenged her

"Teal'c, take care of them" Both groups separated off, Teal'c preparing to spar with the four members of SG-9 while Jack squared up to the scantily clad women in front of him. She seemed to think for a moment before her face hardened and she too changed her stance preparing for his attack.

He kept it slow at first, using moves he knew she could easily deflect, testing her reflexes and her strength. He was surprised when she landed a blow on his chest, pushing backwards a little; despite her size she was strong. He watched, almost entranced as her muscles flexed and moved just beginning to glisten with a shimmer of sweat. He began picking up the pace until he too was starting to sweat. He was impressed, he hadn't even nearly reached his limits, but he could see that she was reaching hers. He grinned at her before striking the fatal blow. She twisted slightly to defend herself taking the strike on the shoulder, but as she twisted away their legs became entangled and there was nothing either of them could do to prevent them landing in heap on the padded floor. She gasped as he landed on top of her, the breath forced from her lungs brushing over his face, which was so very close to hers. She smelt good, the crisp sent of soap mixed with sweat and maybe a little arousal, but he couldn't be sure. He became aware that all activity in the gym had stopped, SG-9 stopping their sparring to watch the match between him and the new girl. Jack coughed lightly, jumping up and pulling her with him.

"Very impressive"

She smiled still struggling to regain her breath.

"Thank you Colonel" She laughed lightly at the shocked look on his face when she used his rank.

She raised her hand to her mouth as though shielding it from the rest of the men in the room and whispered.

"Your file has a photo Colonel" She saluted suddenly, drawing her t-shirt tight across her breasts.

"Captain Milla Blake, Sir"

He looked hard at her face, now that he knew he could see some resemblance to her father, but obviously she was lucky enough to have taken after her mother.

She watched as his soft eyes suddenly turned cold and sighed to herself. Her new CO had obviously met her father. Her whole career had been tainted by stupid things done by her father. She felt her own eyes harden and she ran her fingers absently over the fading bruise on her ribs, their little session had done nothing to help in its healing. She turned, heading for the showers.

"I am not my father Colonel" she threw over her shoulder her voice filled with venom.

******

Once through the door to the shower room, she leaned heavily against her new locker. She couldn't believe she had spoken to her CO like that, but deep down she knew she had to make the stand about her father now or she would forever by punished for his mistakes. She shuddered slightly at the thought of her father. But right now what she needed was a cold shower. She had to admit her CO was ten times more impressive in person than his file let on, and infinitely more attractive. Her heart was still thumping from the full body contact she had received when he had fallen on top of her. He hadn't jumped up as quickly as she imagined he might, only doing so when it became obvious that all eyes were on them. She could still feel his scent lingering in her nose, soft sexy aftershave and sweat, and the feel of his strong firm body pressing against her. She shivered at the feelings that coursed through her, feelings that were so very wrong. She glanced at her watch gasping at how quickly the time had passed, she would barely have time to shower and change before the 16:00 briefing.

******

Jack shifted uncomfortably in his chair, Daniel and Teal'c had already arrived and were awaiting the arrival of Hammond with Captain Blake. The full body contact with his new subordinate had left him feeling strange. He had enjoyed the feeling of her soft body, compliant beneath his own and similar images that involved the both of them with fewer clothes had already begun to form in his mind. He shook his head, he couldn't be attracted to her, she was 20 years his junior, young enough to be his daughter, and his subordinate. No. He wasn't attracted to her, no more than was natural for any man pressed against a scantily clad young women.

For all his reasoning it all flew out the window when the door of the briefing room opened and Hammond appeared, followed by Captain Blake in her very well tailored dress blues. She had pulled her platinum hair up into a tight bun, but fine strands had already begun to fall about her face. She had applied a small amount of makeup, not much, but enough to enhance her natural beauty. As Hammond introduced them, she watched him from beneath long honey colored lashes. Hammond stood and headed towards the door, drawing Jack's attention from their new team mate.

"I'll leave you all to get acquainted. Stand down for the rest of the day and tomorrow"

They all looked at each other for a moment, tension palpable in the room. Blake turned to Daniel offering him her hand.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Dr Jackson; I have read some of your texts, although they're a bit complicated"

She smiled a winning smile as Daniel grasped her hand, shaking it firmly and flushing slightly under her million watt smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Captain Blake, I've seen your file, very impressive. Call me Daniel please"

Her smile grew even wider and Jack felt an unexplainable wave of jealously surge through him.

"Milla then" she said releasing Daniel's hand and turning to Teal'c

"Tek'ma'tae Teal'c"

"Tek'ma'tae CaptainBlake. You're knowledge of my native language is impressive"

She laughed a light musical sound that sent shivers down Jack's spine. She had a beautiful laugh, what would she sound like screaming his name while he sucked her clit? He shook his head roughly trying to rid himself of the images that shouldn't be passing through his mind.

"Don't be fooled" She continued "I only learnt that one word, especially for today"

She was now blushing furiously.

"I wanted to make a good impression. Everyone knows how close SG-1 are and it must be difficult for you all having me intrude"

Daniel glared at Jack, knowing that that was exactly what he was thinking; Teal'c only smiled slightly bowing his head in acceptance.

"Don't worry Blake, we don't bite" he smiled at her "We're due a team night tonight, why don't you tag along. We can all get to know each other"

He stood and left, leaving Daniel to make arrangements with Teal'c and Blake on where to meet and at what time. He needed a cold shower his BDU's suddenly feeling tight, he hadn't felt this attracted to a woman since Sara. What the hell was wrong with him? She was young enough to be his daughter.

******

Milla pulled her bike up into the parking lot in front of the bar, looking down at the piece of paper Daniel had scribbled for her.

'O'Malleys. This is it' she thought, pulling her helmet off.

She raised her hand greeting Daniel who was waiting outside for her.

"You didn't have to wait in the cold for me"

"I didn't want you getting lost" he smiled She thanked him as he helped her off with her jacket, pointing towards the booth at the far end where Teal'c and the Colonel were already seated.

******

Jack watched silently, his knuckles turning white from the death grip he had on his beer. She laughed at something Daniel was saying as he helped her off with her leather jacket, causing another wave of jealousy to surge through him. He took in the sight of her as they walked towards the table. Her tight stone wash jeans and heels accentuated her long legs and a tight fitting emerald green shirt showing off her curves and fantastic green eyes. She'd left her hair loose, the almost white waves falling softly over her shoulders and glistening gold in the soft lighting. He gasped as she smiled at him, her full lips curving upwards as she greeted him. She slid into the booth next to him and across from Daniel and Teal'c, her thigh brushing against his in the cramped space. It was like an electric shock running through his body and he looked at her shocked by his reaction, only to find that she too was looking at him, her face, he imagined, mirroring his own. He slid a beer towards her, his fingers brushing against hers as her hand wrapped around the bottle.

The evening passed quickly, the team quickly overcoming the tension and talking freely with each other. The more Blake drank the closer she moved towards him, and when Daniel and Teal'c finally rose to leave her thigh was pressed firmly against his own, her breast occasionally brushing against him as she reached for her beer. The close contact was doing wonderful things to his body and he was feeling the need to accommodate himself in his now too tight trousers. He smiled at her moving away slightly, sliding into the space left vacant by Teal'c. She looked disappointed, but recovered quickly, returning his smile.

"So Colonel. Think you can put up with me for a couple of months?"

"I'm sure I can manage. Think you can put up with me?"

She paused for a moment thinking.

"Dunno. Word on the base is you're a bit of hard ass"

His eyes became serious "I expect the best from team. Can you live up to that impressive file that follows you around? Can you still be a good officer when Daddy isn't around to help you?"

Her eyes became hard, a dangerous expression crossing her features.

"I told you before Colonel, I am not my father. I do not like being compared to him, and I do not like you insinuating that he has helped my career in anyway. If you knew my father half as well as you think you do, you'd know that he rarely helps anyone but himself"

She stood up abruptly, knocking over her beer. He grabbed her arm to stop her leaving, to apologize and was surprised when she flinched, the muscles in her arms tensing as if to defend herself. He dropped his hand quickly surprised by her reaction, he had seen it before, but he couldn't remember where. She flushed, as if realizing that she had given something away, grabbed her jacket and ran for the door.

By the time he had paid and reached the parking lot her bike was already screeching out onto the road. He sighed and headed to his truck. He shouldn't have said that.


	2. Chapter 2

She awoke the next morning sweating, struggling to pull herself from the nightmares that had haunted her all night. She grimaced as she looked at the clock. 06:13 Am. An ungodly hour to wake up, especially when she didn't have to report to the base today. She groaned and rolled over, but the echoes of her nightmares still rolled around her head. Huffing she sat up, rubbing her hands over her face. She often suffered from these horrible dreams. But they weren't dreams; they were memories, memories of the hell her father had put her through when she was younger. He had never forgiven her for not being a boy. Her mother left when she was 8 years old, fed up, she guessed with her father's drinking. That was when he had started beating her, for stupid things at first, not putting away her toys, not washing the dishes, and then later he had beaten her for no reason at all. When she was 17 years old she had run away from home, joining the academy as soon as could. She had seen her father a few times over the years, but he had never asked for her forgiveness for what he had done. Over time she had lost contact with him, but the memories never faded. Seeing the beautiful dawn sunshine flooding through the window she hopped out of bed thinking that maybe a jog would calm her nerves.

******

Jack groaned and rolled over for the millionth time, he hadn't slept all night. He felt bad. He couldn't keep convincing himself that he wasn't attracted to her because he felt bad for what he had said. Blake had a point about her father, he was a selfish drunk and it was a miracle he had managed to keep himself in the air force all these years, barely capable of furthering his own career let alone that of his daughter. He kicked at the sheets in frustration, a night of tossing and turning having tangled them around his legs. He groaned again, sitting up in the bed and looking the clock. 06:13 Am. An ungodly hour to wake up, especially when he didn't have to report to the base today. He stretched and slipping from the bed padded towards the kitchen. Coffee, he needed coffee. Then maybe he would go for jog through the park. He looked out the window, taking in the beautiful sunshine that was just starting to warm the garden. Yeah, a jog through the park would be good. He smiled and headed back to the bedroom, jogging becoming more attractive than coffee. Pulling on an old pair of sweat pants, an air force t-shirt and the world's most worn out trainers he bounded outside, breaking into a long strided run.

The morning was cool, but by the time he reached the park he was already beginning to sweat. It had been a long time since had run just for the pleasure of it. He picked up the pace pounding his way through the early morning dog walkers and taking the long circuit around the park. He took in the silence, enjoying the way his rapid breaths punctuated the quiet of the morning. He closed his eyes for a moment taking in the calmness of the atmosphere.

The impact was jarring, knocking him flat on his back and pushing the air out of his lungs. He groaned and opened his eyes to find a pair of green ones looking back at him. Her face was flushed and her breathing ragged and from the serious lack of body covering clothing, he guessed that she too had been running.

"This is becoming an unfortunate habit of ours Blake"

She smiled, her face close to his, wriggling in her effort to untangle their legs. The contact was mind blowing as her entire body pressed against his own.

"Funny. I don't feel unfortunate"

"Blake" he warned, pushing her warm body away from his own.

"Sorry sir. I only closed my eyes for a second. I love running at this time of day. So quiet"

Regaining her feet she brushed herself off causing her whole body to bounce in an interesting way. He blushed as he realized that his eyes were glued to her scantily clad chest. He reached out and pulled a leaf from her hair lingering for a moment over the touch of the silky strands. She blushed slightly and took a step backwards.

"Want some coffee. My new place is only a few minutes away. To say sorry for running you over"

He nodded unable to speak as he turned to follow her.

As they approached her house he began to recognize the surroundings, realizing that he was only a few streets from his own. She soon led him up the steps to her new house and opened the door, hopping over a few boxes to enter. He glanced at her, taking in the disarray of the entrance hall, trying to remember if he had been this untidy when he was her age.

'Her age?' he thought 'you're getting old Colonel'

She blushed, watching his looked of awed disgust at the disaster that was her new home.

"I'm not really this messy. I promise. But I haven't had time to unpack yet, it all arrived yesterday afternoon."

She handed him a steaming mug of coffee and shifted some of the boxes off the table and onto the floor. She sighed and looked at the mess.

"I'm never gunna have time to sort all this out"

Jack smiled at her; she looked so small surrounded by the large packing boxes. She had tied her hair into loose pigtails to go running and it made her look about 12 years year old.

"You sure you're old enough to be in the air force?" He asked reaching over and lightly tugging at one of the pigtails.

She blushed furiously, the color spreading down her neck and onto her chest. She pulled at the clips from her hair, letting it fall loosely about her face, her pouting lips doing nothing to improve her school girl appearance.

"And don't worry about all this" he gestured to the boxes "That's what teams are for. We'll call Danny and T and get you settled in, in no time. And we're barbecuing at my place tonight, I find it hard to image that you've got food hidden under all this"

He grinned at her as he pulled out his cell phone, hoping Daniel and Teal'c weren't still asleep.

******

He flipped the streaks and picking up his beer turned towards where Daniel and Teal'c were sat. They had unpacked everything reasonably quickly with no broken bones, although each of them had a bruise or two. They had left Blake to shower and change giving her directions and arranging to meet at his place. It was now early evening and the setting sun brought his garden alive with reds and golds. She hadn't arrived yet but was due any time soon. They all felt more comfortable with each other now, and he was glad that they had had the chance to feel each other out before the mission tomorrow. He winced at the unfortunate use of words as they ran through his head. The thought of feeling Blake out brought up images of running his hands over her smooth creamy skin making her moan his name. He shoved the images out of his head as she appeared in the garden dressed in a light cotton summer dress that reached to mid thigh and sandals. He liked it when she didn't wear heels, her petit frame only just reaching his shoulder and making him feel the need to protect her. She smiled at him, strolling over and grabbing a beer.

"Thanks again for all your help today guys. I'd never had got it sorted out alone"

"No problem Blake. Go and sit down the steaks are almost done"

******

She let out a small yelp as she dashed through the door and he was close on her heels. The summer shower that had begun just as they were finishing of the fantastic steaks he had prepared had caught them all by surprise, and they were all thoroughly drenched before they reached the house. He had to admit that he had got the best out of the bargain, insisting on bring in the beers and some of the dishes had meant that he was last to enter the house but directly behind Blake, who's dress was now plastered wetly to her skin leaving nothing to the imagination. He could see the lace thong that she had on underneath it and the matching bra. His fingers itched to reach out and grasp her firm ass. Luckily he had his hands full with the dishes or he might have actually done it. Once inside she looked down at herself and, realizing that her clothes had become transparent, began to blush. Daniel too was blushing at the sight of his teams mate's firm body, and quickly busied himself with a towel rubbing furiously at his hair.

"Go and dry off Blake. I'll go find something for you to put on"

He went to his bedroom and dug out a t-shirt and his smallest pair of shorts for her, and headed to the bathroom.

Light shone from around the door and into the hall and he realized that she had not shut the door properly. Through the thin crack he could make out her now naked back and ass. She turned slightly rubbing a towel smoothly over her body and giving him a glance at her firm breasts. They were larger than he would have imagined given her petit size. He coughed lightly causing her to start and wrap to towel firmly around her body. She opened the door and he handed her the clothes he had found.

"They'll be a bit big but they're the smallest I've got. Give me your dress and I'll put it in the dryer"

He changed quickly and chucking everything into the dryer, returned downstairs to where Blake, Daniel and Teal'c, now dry, had gotten comfortable in his living room. Blake had stretched out on the floor her long legs curled up underneath her body. Her hair was curling slightly as it dried bouncing around her face as she laughed at Teal'c's statement that it was raining felines and canines.

"Cats and dogs T" he grinned and grabbing a beer flopped down on the sofa next to Daniel.

They spent the rest of the evening laughing and drinking beer, each enjoying the company. And when Daniel and Teal'c stood to leave Jack offered to drive Blake home. She had walked the short distance from her house, but outside the rain continued to fall. She changed back into her dress and the made a dash for his truck laughing as they ran through the rain. He turned up the heating as they pulled out of the drive.

He pulled up onto the curb, as close to her front door as was possible and turned to look at her. She looked up at him, her eyes full of emotion and she leaned her slightly towards him. That was what his body had been waiting for, his brain cut out and his body took control. He reached out and buried his hands in her hair pulling her gently onto his lap. Where her lips quickly found his and the whole world stopped. She lightly pressed her lips against his, her tongue sliding over his mouth seeking entrance. Groaning he deepened the kiss, allowing her entrance to his mouth and thrusting his tongue into hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Her body moved against his, her dress had slipped upwards and she pressed her naked ass against him, driving him crazy.

Neither of them noticed the man that had appeared at the window of the truck a furious look on his face. The door of the truck flew open and Jack felt Milla being pulled from his lap into the rain.

"Hey" he cried jumping from the truck.

Milla's face had turned white and he was sure she was trembling. The man had her firmly grasped by the arm.

"B…Brian" she stammered "I thought you were still in DC"

"I thought I'd come and visit my favorite girl, but it looks like I can't leave you alone for one minute can I Mil?"

"You ok Blake?"

Brian grasped her arm painfully tightening his grip in warning.

"Yes" she replied quietly.

Brain plastered a sickening grin on his face and extended his hand to Jack, pulling Milla to his chest and hugging her tightly.

"I'm Brian. Milla's fiancé"

"Jack, no…." she started and tried to move towards him. But Brian pulled her back, his long fingers digging into her upper arm.

Jack glared at her for a second before climbing back into the truck ignoring the hand offered to him by Brian. He gunned the engine and the tires screeched as he turned the vehicle around a sped up the road.

How could he have been so stupid? He had let her rap him round her little finger, all the little glances, and the 'accidental' touches. Maybe this was how she had progressed so far in her career. Sleeping her way up through the ranks. He smacked his balled fists into the steering wheel cursing under his breath and wishing that the bulge in his trousers would go away. He felt like an idiot.

******

Milla sobbed quietly as she watched Jack drive away and turning towards Brian angrily pulled her arm away.

"What the hell are you doing here Brian? I told you I never wanted to see you again"

"No, you left a pathetic little note and snuck out in the middle of the night"

He grabbed her arm again and pulled her close, his breath already stank of whisky. He pulled her towards the house slapping her face when she resisted. Her body refused to respond, he was so much like her father that all of her hand to hand training flew out of the window when she was with him. He had been under father's command for over 4 years and resembled him much more than she did. She had never been able to defend herself against him in the 12 months that they had been together, something in her brain always made her paralyzed. She knew enough about psychology to know that women from abusive upbringings often found partners that were abusive. But she couldn't believe that she had let it happen. It had started slowly at first, just like with her father, but only months before her posting to the SGC he had beaten her so badly she had been hospitalized. Both her father and Brian 'advised her' to invent a car crash. She had been jumpy since then and only in the last few days with the Colonel, Daniel and Teal'c had she begun to feel safe again. How could anyone possibly hurt her when she has these 3 wonderful men to protect her?

He slammed the door behind them, pushing her roughly into the living room; she easily recognized the look on his face and prepared herself for what was to come.

"How did you find me?" she sighed

"Your father" he laughed "Managed to pull some strings and get the information. You know he's very disappointed with you for leaving me" She glared at him.

"But really Mil. What were you doing slobbering all over that fossil outside. He's old enough to be your father. I thought you had better taste"

Her blood boiled and her temper began to slip.

"From what I hear Colonel O'Neill is a trouble maker and a disgrace to the air force"

She moved closer to him drawing back her arm and slapping him as hard as she could, enjoying for a second the look of utter disbelief that crossed his face.

"He's twice than man you are" she snarled.

His back hand caught her by surprise and sent her flying across the room and smashing through the table.

"You'll pay for that" he growled

He was on her before she could crawl away and before she could blink he slapped a pair of hand cuffs onto her wrists immobilizing her arms in front of her. He stepped away, watching her and took another swig from the bottle of whisky that had found its way into his hand. The bottle was already three quarters empty. She judged that it wouldn't be long before he passed out. In that she was lucky, it had been 6 months since they had had sex. He liked to drink while he 'punished' her and he usually passed out before they got to that point. She struggled slightly as he advanced towards her slipping a small army knife out of his pocket. He slipped it into the back of her dress and slit the material from her shoulders to her ass. She groaned and closed her eyes as he slipped his belt through the loops and wrapped the buckle end around his hand.

"Don't scream" he warned, just before he brought the belt down across her shoulder.

She stifled her screams knowing that any noise would only draw this out longer. He took long swigs from the bottle between each swing and soon he collapsed onto the sofa, snoring loudly. She crawled across the floor towards him, sliding her handcuffed hands into his pockets looking for the keys. She struggled for a few minutes once she had found them, desperately trying to unlock the cold metal bonds.

Once she was free she slipped quietly from the room making for the bathroom. She let her ripped dress fall to the floor and examined her back and shoulders in the mirror, it hadn't been too bad, he had hardly broken the skin at all, except for one mark that had fallen across her lower back and curled around her ass cheeks. She showered quickly, wincing as the hot water fell over her back, changed and left the house silently. She laughed bitterly when she saw Brian's car parked, clear as day, outside her house. She had been so intent on Jack… no, the Colonel, that she hadn't notice it when they arrived. A silent tear fell from beneath her closed eyelids, he would never forgive her. She mounted her bike wincing at the sting of her back and rolled quietly down the street and then starting the engine pointed the vehicle in the direction of the base. She had been given quarters of her own, she would stay there tonight.

******

Jack arrived late to the briefing room the following morning. He hadn't slept all night. He kept running everything through his head and he still felt stupid and betrayed. He sighed, he had originally been playing with the idea of petitioning Hammond that she be transferred to another team, but there was no way to that without explaining why. So unless she really messed up during a mission, he was resolved to do his best to work with her until Carter came back.

"As long as she doesn't invite me to the wedding" he mumbled as he entered the briefing room.

The rest of SG-1 was already present. His eyes fell immediately to Blake and he cursed himself for his weakness. She looked tired, and refused to meet his gaze but flinched as he passed behind her to take his seat. He glanced at her, it was the second time he had seen that reaction from her. He wracked his brain; he knew he had seen it before. Half an hour later and they were congregated in the gate room awaiting the activation of the wormhole which would take them to P3X546. The MALP was picking up traces of naqueda.

Milla shifted, uncomfortable with the heavy pack strung over her delicate shoulders. Jack almost grinned at her; the pack was nearly as big as she was. She eyed the event horizon suspiciously stepping up the ramp towards it. As she ran her hand over the watery surface Daniel stepped up beside her.

"Don't worry. It's just like a really scary rollercoaster" Then he smiled and giving her a little push followed her through the portal. She fought the urge to vomit when she landed squarely on the other side of the gate. She pushed away the nausea and took in the surroundings. The gate was situated in a beautiful meadow, with wild flowers and long grass. The small primitive village could be seen in the distance to the north.

"Ok kids, move out"

******

Jack dodged another arrow as it whistled through the air; he hated hostile primitives almost preferring a bullet wound to being stuck by one of those mean looking arrows. Teal'c was leading the dash back to the gate with him taking up the rear. The gate was almost in sight when Blake tripped on a loose stone which sent her sprawling onto the floor. Her t-shirt slipped slightly up her back and his subconscious eyes caught a glace of the long, straight bruises that marked her skin. He bent quickly grabbing her arm and pulling her upright, so intent on get her on her feet that he didn't notice the natives that had draw closer behind them. The first thing he felt was an intense burning in his shoulder and looked down to find a viscous looking arrow head protruding from his shoulder at the front and the rest of it standing out from the back.

"Crap" he grunted.

He pulled Blake along with him towards the gate, knowing that they needed to get there before he passed out. He felt like his back was on fire. She quickly became aware of the arrow protruding from him and slid her shoulder under his arm helping him to run as he felt his strength giving way. They tumbled through the gate, both of them rolling on the ramp.

"Medic!" he cried weakly before the blackness overtook him.


	4. Chapter 4

The radiating pain from his shoulder pushed the blackness away and brought him swimming towards the bright lights of the infirmary. He groaned and wrapped his fingers tighter around the hand that was grasping his own.

"Sir?"

Her voice was quiet and it trembled slightly.

"I'm sorry sir, if I hadn't tripped this wouldn't have happened"

He groaned again and opened his eyes looking at Blake's white face; she looked like she hadn't slept in days. He pulled his hand away from hers.

"Go home Blake" he sighed

"Jack" she started in a whisper "Please let me explain"

"There's nothing to explain. Now go home, I'm sure your fiancé is wondering where you are. That's an order Captain" he growled, stubbornly closing his eyes again.

Dr Frasier appeared shining a pen light in his eyes, prodding his shoulder and injecting him with what he guessed were pain killers. When he opened his eyes again Blake had disappeared.

"She was here all night you know. And most of yesterday"

He could feel the pain killers kicking in and his vision was starting to fade. He looked up at Janet his eyes hazy, before allowing himself to slip once again into the comforting blackness.

******

She brought the bike to a halt on the corner of her street. She had been living on the base for the past few days while Colonel had been in the infirmary and she intended to stay there until she could be sure that Brian had lost interest and gone back to DC. But there were things she missed from her home, extra clothes, her toothbrush, make up and a photo of her mother which she had never been without.

Brian's car was still parked in the street in front of her house, sighing she settled in to wait for him to leave. She hoped it wouldn't be long, her back was still sore and the broken skin was only just beginning to heal. She resisted the urge to let the tears fall down her cheeks when she remembered the Colonel's face when he had woken up in the infirmary. At first he had been pleased to see her and had squeezed her fingers between his own, but he had quickly remembered the confrontation with Brian and had pulled his hand away ordering her to go home. She would try and explain everything to him when she got back to the base, with him confined to bed in the infirmary she had a better chance of making him listen. She couldn't let him think that she had been leading him on. Even if he didn't want her, he had to know that she hadn't been manipulating him.

After only half an hour waiting on the corner of the street she saw Brian leave the house, his car speeding off in the other direction. She acted quickly, rolling the bike down the street and quickly mounting the steps up to the porch. She slid quietly into the house, wrinkling her nose at the smell of stale whisky that filled the hair. She sighed at the mess that Brian had created in only three days. Her beautiful home that she and the Colonel, Daniel and Teal'c had worked so hard to organize now looked like a pig sty. She jumped up the stairs two at a time striding towards her bedroom. She began gathering clothes and toiletries as quickly as possible stuffing them into the same duffle bag she had used before.

She was in the bathroom when the bedroom door swung open crashing into the wall behind it. She froze not daring to move. Brian's large frame appeared in the bathroom doorway behind her, his face smiling at her in the mirror.

"I knew you'd come back eventually" he snarled wrapping his arm firmly around her throat.

His hand covered her mouth while the other pulled her arm behind her back twisting it brutally. She felt the bone snap and screamed against his filthy hand.

"Where've you been Mil? I've been waiting three days for you to come back. You're father's trying to sort me out a transfer to the mountain so that we can be together. But you shouldn't have left here without letting me know where you were going"

He wrenched her body round, ploughing his fist into her face knocking her to the floor. She was terrified; she had never seen him like this before. Drunk yes. But never out of control. The smell of whisky was strong but she didn't think it was fresh. In this state he could easy kill her. He had always had a fiery temper but he was normally too drunk to act on it properly. Blood streamed from her nose and she tried to curl her body to protect herself as he swung his heavy, booted foot into her ribs. He groaned as she curled into the fetal position, and reaching into his pocket he brought out the same pair of hand-cuffs he had used before. He stuffed a dirty rag into her mouth and pulled her arms behind her back. She screamed as the bone in her broken arm rubbed against nerves sending icicles of pain shooting through her whole body. He stood and kicked her ribs again, smiling in a manically contented way.

"That's better" he muttered before booting her a few more times.

The last swing fell away from target and connected with her upper thigh, the bone breaking with a sickening crunch. He lifted her limp body and threw her onto the bed, pulling his knife from his pocket. Her conscious swam and the room had begun to get fuzzy around the edges, but the sight of the knife glistening in the afternoon sun brought her attention fully back. He stepped back, as if thinking, knocking the lamp of the night table. It crashed to the floor breaking into a million parts.

******

When Jack again regained consciousness he felt a lot better, the pain in his shoulder had receded to a dull ache. He rubbed his uninjured hand over his face. His head still swum with the dream images that he been buzzing around his head. But he didn't think it was a dream, had he really seen those marks on her back when she had tripped on P3X546? His mind slowly began to piece the puzzle together and the face of his ex wife Sara's younger sister popped into his head. The poor girl had got involved with a particularly nasty guy when Sara and he had first started dating. Sara and he had convinced her to go to the police and the guy had been put away, but she had been jumpy for ages after, flinching and starting at shadows.

"Crap!" He felt like a light had switched on in his head.

He sat up quickly, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Blake reacted in the same way as Sara's sister had, Flinching when there was no need. He now remembered, clear as day, the long straight bruises that marked her back and the wince that he had seen on her face as she lifted her pack. And he had sent her home to that bastard. He slid off the bed, searching for his clothes.

"Colonel! Get back into bed"

"Sorry Doc, but I gotta go"

Janet took in his sense of urgency, it was unusual to see the Colonel so wound up. His face had turned white and he was searching wildly for his clothes. She stepped over and pushed him lightly, forcing him to sit back down on the bed. She pulled the dressing away to examine the wound on his shoulder, before redressing it and after he was dressed she strapped his arm to his chest to prevent movement. She handed him a bottle of pain killers and gave him instructions on when to take them while he fidgeted on the bed.

"Ok Colonel, but take it easy for a few days."

He was out the door before she could finish, and she doubted that he would take it easy even for a few minutes let alone a few days.

Driving was difficult with his arm strapped to his chest, but his urgency over rode his clumsiness. How could he have been so blind? The whiteness of her face when she had seen Brian, the way she trembled, the death grip the bastard had had on her arm. He had checked her quarters on the base before leaving and although she wasn't there it looked like she had been living there for at least the last few days. The guards on the gate informed that Captain Blake had signed out over two hours ago. He prayed, hoping that nothing had happened to her.

He made it to her house in record time; her bike was parked on the street outside the house and the same car that had been there the night of the barbecue. He hopped out of the truck and moved silently towards the house. The front door was ajar, swinging open when he pushed it. He paused for a moment pulling out his cell phone and dialing 911, hoping the police didn't arrive too soon, he wanted to deal with this himself. The entrance stank of stale whisky and cigarette smoke and everything was in disarray.

There was a crash from upstairs and he moved quickly and silently towards the noise. He reached her bedroom and looked through the door, unprepared for what he would see. She was lying on the bed with blood streaming from her nose and her right leg twisted at a strange angle. Brian was standing over with a knife in his hand with his back to the door; it looked like the bastard was thinking. He slipped silently into the room until he was stood just two feet behind him. He planted his feet firmly on the floor, preparing himself.

"Hey!"

Brian turned at the noise and Jack was ready for him, ploughing his fist into the guy's smug face with all the strength he could muster. The guy staggered backwards a satisfyingly shocked look on his face.

"Get out of here old man" he snarled advancing forward.

Even with his left arm strapped to his chest Jack was still quick and knocked Brian backwards again with another swift punch to the face. Blood had started to trickle from his nose and a look of fear had entered his eyes.

"How does it feel to be on the receiving end for a change?" Jack asked him

Brian suddenly remembered the knife in his hand and advance again swinging it. Jack blocked the blow and easily disarmed the younger man turning the knife towards him.

The sound of distant sirens filled the air and Jack felt a stab of disappointment, realizing that they would arrive before he had chance to kill the bastard. He lunged forwards quickly twisting and pulling Brian's arm behind him, pressing the knife against his throat.

"If I had more time I'd kill you for what you've done to her" he growled in his ear, before bringing the butt of the knife swiftly down between Brian's shoulders and letting him slump to the floor, unconscious, booting him in the ribs more for his own pleasure than because he thought the guy might get up. He searched his pockets quickly, looking for the keys to the hand cuffs and moved slowly towards the bed.

He sat down next to her, his heart breaking at the quiet whimper that escaped her lips as she tried to move away from him. He reached out to touch her arm but she flinched and wriggled to the other side of the large bed. Her face was barely recognizable through the blood that was pouring from her nose, she had her eyes closed and hadn't seen him enter the room.

"Shhh Blake I'm here"

"Sir?" she mumbled her voice thick as her consciousness slipped.

He reached over to remove the handcuffs and she didn't flinch, but he wasn't sure if that was because she realized that it was him or because she had lost consciousness.

"You're safe now" he whispered "No one will ever hurt you again"


	5. Chapter 5

"Daniel she's in surgery for crying out loud!"

He had followed the ambulance to the hospital, placing a quick call to the SGC informing General Hammond of what had happened. By the time her had arrived the doctors had informed him that she had been rushed into the OR, a broken rid having punctured one of her lungs. Daniel and Teal'c had arrived a mere twenty minutes later, rushing from the base when General Hammond had given them the news. And here they were two hours later, waiting.

"I know Jack, but the doctor said there were no complications and that she would be fine"

As they argued a scared looking nurse approached, eying Teal'c warily and coughing lightly to gain Jack's attention. She looked down at the chart she had in her hands.

"Colonel… um… O'Neill?" He nodded and she continued.

"She's out of the operating room and she's stable. The surgeon will be out in a moment" Within moments the surgeon appeared still wearing scrubs but looking amazing clean. He approached the small group, giving Teal'c a wide berth.

"She's out of theatre and everything's fine. We've repaired the damage to her lung and reset the ribs as best as we can. She'll be sore for a while but I can't see that there will be any complications"

Jack sighed in relief "Can we see her?"

The doctor nodded and led them down the hall to a small airy room. Sunlight filtered through a large window illuminating the room. She looked so small and so pale lying on the hospital bed, her right wrist and leg were in plaster. Her face had been cleaned of the blood that was covering it leaving her pale with black circles under her eyes. Jack slumped in the chair at her bedside scooping up her tiny hand and wrapping his fingers around it.

"I'm sorry" he whispered.

Her eyes flickered and a hint of a smile crossed her lips, her fingers tightening slightly on his.

"Jack" she mumbled. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair out of her face caressing her cheek gently. Her face tightened into a small frown and a tear slipped out from under her closed eyelids. Her body was suddenly tense and he saw her wince in pain.

"Brian…?" Her voice was filled with fear and her eyes flickered beneath the lids as though she was dreaming. He brought his hand up to her cheek again, brushing his fingers lightly over her pale skin.

"Shhhh its ok baby. He can't hurt you anymore. I'm here"

She visibly relaxed and her breathing again became even as she slipped into a comfortable sleep.

******

He awoke in the early hours of the following morning, his head jerking up from where it lay on the hospital bed by her side. He groaned, he had fallen asleep in the world's most uncomfortable chair. His shoulder throbbed; he had forgotten to take the medication Janet had given him.

"Crap" he muttered.

He stretched slightly as he stood trying to work the kinks out of his body, and fishing in his pocket he retrieved the bottle of pills he was supposed to take. He reached for the jug of water on the bedside and poured himself a glass, struggling to open the bottle of pills with one hand. As the lid popped open he stared in disgust at the capsules within.

"They're pink!"

A low giggle came from the bed and he looked over to find Milla's big green eyes fixed on him and small smile spreading over features. The smile quickly turned to a wince as the giggle jerked her broken ribs. He smiled gently at her, retaking his seat by the bed.

"It'll be awhile before you can giggle again" he informed her only causing her to giggle again.

"How ya feeling?"

"Everything hurts. What happened? Where's Brian?"

The fear had re-entered her eyes when she spoke his name and it broke his heart to see her with that look in her eyes.

"He's in custody. And General Hammond made sure he won't get bail. The police will probably be round later on to get your statement"

She nodded, her eyes once again drifting shut. Almost subconsciously she slipped her hand into his and within seconds she was sleeping soundly

******

Her screams brought him running into the room, he had left only a few moments ago to look for something to eat, the morning sunshine awaking his hunger. He had only reached the end of the corridor when she had started to scream. He skidded slightly on the floor as he rushed back into room. She was tossing and turning, her hands clenched around the sheets and her eyes moving rapidly behind closed eyelids. He took her face in his hands trying to calm her.

"Milla. Wake up baby. It's only a dream"

She sat up abruptly and he pulled her against his chest his hand tangling in her hair as his tried to quiet her tears. She sobbed against his shoulder for a few minutes before pulling away, wiping her eyes.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

"Try and go back to sleep"

The doctor had appeared behind him, quickly checking the stitches that ran across her ribs. Everything looked fine, although her face was now edged with pain.

"I'm going to give you something for the pain and something to help you sleep" He injected her and she was soon sleeping again.

The doctor led Jack outside of the room looking at him for a moment.

"Colonel O'Neill. It is not unusual for women in her situation to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder which can cause…"

"I know what it causes Doctor. Flashbacks, nightmares, black outs, memory loss"

He almost smiled at the shocked look that crossed the doctor's face, he had seen many of his men suffer from PTSD before and he himself had suffered through it after he came back from Iraq.

"Don't worry Doc. We'll look after her"

******

She sat up slowly. Everything hurt but she had to get up and move around or the doctors would never let her go home. The police had been and taken her statement informing her that she would have to appear in court and testify against Brian. She shuddered at the thought of having to see him again. Her nightmares had been frequent and every time she slept she had woken up screaming. She smiled slightly, Jack was always there when she woke up, holding her as tightly and as closely as he could, taking their respective injuries into account. He was so much more caring in the middle of the night, during the day he had fallen back to calling her Blake and she in turn had been calling him sir. She sighed in frustration. She had been in the hospital nearly a week and she was dying to go home.

She grabbed the specially designed crutches from the side of the bed and slid her feet gingerly onto the floor. It had taken practice to learn to walk with the crutches with her arm in a cast and the strain it put on her ribs often left her gasping. But she was used to being in peak physical conditions and she wasn't going to let that slip too badly. She hobbled toward the door only to find it blocked by the imposing body of her CO.

"Sir. Want to join me for a walk?"

He raised his eyebrows at her but nodded and moved out of the doorway, walking slowly at keep pace with her.

"How ya feeling Blake?" She shrugged, not wanting to talk about it. In the plain light of day she felt fine, but at night when the room was dark, she could see Brian's face in every dark corner. And her dreams were haunted by him.

"Don't worry. It gets easier." He smiled at her "Anyway I've got some good news; the doctor says you can go home today"

"Really!"

She instantly made a slow U-turn and headed back towards her room, someone had brought her some of her clothes from the base, Daniel she guessed, and she wanted to change and be ready for when the doctor discharged her. She entered the room gasping in surprise.

"Dad!"

"Milla" he replied solemnly "O'Neill" he nodded at Jack.

Jack scowled at him, but it was none of his business if General Blake had come to visit his daughter in hospital. If it had been any other father he would have been surprised that he hadn't turned up before now, but he knew what General Blake was like.

"I'll leave you two alone"

He left the room but pressed himself against the wall next to the door to listen to what was being said. He didn't know what sort of relationship Blake had with her father, but he knew that at the moment she was very sensitive.

"Dad. What are you doing here?" she sighed, relaxing back on the bad.

Her ribs were starting to hurt she was due her pain killers soon. She hoped her father wouldn't stay long; she didn't have to energy to fight with him right now. At least he appeared to be sober.

"Brian called me"

She groaned inwardly. How would her father twist it this time to make it her fault?

"I want you to drop the charges against him Milla"

"Dad, he broke my arm and my leg, 3 of my ribs and punctured my lung"

"He wouldn't have done this if you hadn't provoked him"

"Just like I provoked him last time he broke my arm, or just like I provoked you all those years?" she asked quietly.

His face hardened and he moved to stand over her, his presence overbearing.

"Are you going to ruin the career of a good air force officer just because you can't keep your mouth in check?"

"What about my career Dad. I'm lucky he didn't do me any permanent damage"

"Your career!" he laughed "Women shouldn't even be allowed to serve in the armed forces"

She knew her face showed her surprise because her father kept laughing, a sickening laugh that was designed to hurt. The psychiatrist that had come to see her had warned her that one of the possible effects of PTSD was a short temper and now she could her anger boiling to the surface. Anger at all he had put her through over the years, all he had let Brian put her through.

"I'm a better air force officer than Brian and I'm a better person than you. You're pathetic"

She was surprised at the venom should heard in her own voice. And watched with a little apprehension as his face had become white, his fists bunching at his sides.

"Does beating your eight year old daughter make you feel like a man, make you feel like a good officer?"

He drew back his fist and despite her anger she cowered on the bed, too many years of abuse had trainer her well. But before her could throw the punch that she was expecting someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him around.

Jack felt his temper snap and he rushed forwards grabbing the General's wrist and pulling him around to face him.

"Pick on someone your own size" he growled before punching him in the face.

The General staggered backwards, tripping over and falling against the wall, Jack fell on him ignoring the pain in his shoulder and pounding the older man with both fists. The nurses hearing the commotion had called hospital security and it took 3 men to pull him off the blooded General.

"You'll pay for this O'Neill" he growled as he regained his feet. Jack struggled between two of the security guards, his temper still blazing.

"I'll see you behind bars, O'Neill. Striking a superior office"

Jack laughed suddenly his body relaxing.

"I'm sure the air force would love to know that you've been using your own daughter as a punching bag for years"

The man's face turned white as he realized that Jack had heard the entirety of the conversation. He straightened his tie as best as he could, wiping some of the blood from his nose on his sleeve and headed for the door.

Jack grabbed his arm as he passed.

"If you ever come near her again, I'll kill you. Do you understand?"

He quickly wiped his bloodied fists on the front of his shirt and sat down on the bed next to Milla. She let out a sob and crawled onto his lap burying her face in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry baby" he whispered, his arms drawing her tighter towards him.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack sighed as he looked over her now sleeping form. The doctor had given her a sedative to calm her down and he had finally managed to get her to sleep. He felt his fist tighten as he recalled the overheard conversation between Milla and her father. He had made a call and had acquired a copy of her medical reports; the sheer quantity of 'unexplained' visits to the hospital was staggering. Since her eighth birthday till only a few months ago she had suffered more broken bones than he had in his entire air force career. He slumped into the chair by her bedside and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, his shoulder hurt. His small scuffle with General Blake and ripped out the stitches so carefully applied by Janet only days ago. The Doctor had dragged him away from her bedside long enough to stitch him up again and change the bloody dressing. He had chucked two of the pink capsules that Janet had given him into his mouth, swallowing them dry and hoping they would take effect soon. The throbbing was fading and he felt his eyes drifting shut.

Gentle snores pulled her from her dream free, sedative induced sleep. She looked over at the sleeping form slumped by her bed. His face was relaxed and his hair was standing up at all angles, giving him the appearance of a wayward school boy, and his soft snoring was endearing. A choked laugh escaped her lips making her wince at that pain that throbbed through her ribs, the sedative must be making her brain fuzzy, to make her think that the snores were endearing.

"No giggling"

"Sorry sir. You were snoring"

He gave her a scandalized look, arching his back slightly as he stretched, the bedside chair not designed for sleeping, and less for anyone his age.

"I do not snore"

She giggled again, the look her gave her was priceless, and she wished she had a camera handy. He grinned at her before jumping to his feet.

"Let's see if we can get you outta here and take you home"

******

Several hours later, after all the paperwork had been filled out and the doctors had given her enough bottles of pain medication to drop a rhino, he found himself helping her through the halls of the hospital and out into the parking lot. By the time they reached the car, where Daniel and Teal'c were waiting, she was leaning heavily on him as she hobbled towards the vehicle.

"We could have brought you out in a wheel chair" he commented, taking in the pain in her face.

The look she gave him almost knocked him off his feet. The determination he saw in her eyes was incredible, it was a look that said that after all she had been through she wasn't going to give up. Her strength made him fall deeper in love with her. 'Whoa!' his mind screamed 'Love!' He hadn't really thought about it up until this point, sure he was attracted to her, but in love with her? He looked down at her, her green eyes meeting his for a second as he helped her into the back seat of the car. His heart skipped a beat and his breathing quickened, yeah he was in love. She was beautiful and strong, so strong even after all she had been through, she was smart, funny, an excellent officer, and everything a guy could want. Everything that made her too good for him. He was old and bitter, and he carried too much excess baggage around. He sighed and slid into the seat next to her, she was too good for him and he tried not to feel his heart break as she leaned against his shoulder.

******

Her eyes had drifted closed as soon as she settled herself against Jack's shoulder, his strong muscular presence made her feel safe and she had quickly drifted to sleep. Now she could feel him shaking her awake, calling her name softly. Opening her eyes blearily to find his face close to her own, she longed to reach out and kiss him, but she heard Daniel's voice in the back ground, so she yawned and smiled at his instead.

"We're here"

She looked out the car window as they pulled up in front of her house, eager to get back into her home and sleep in her own bed. She pushed back the images that accompanied thoughts of her bed and tried not to blush as the object of her thoughts helped her out of the car. She grabbed her crutch and hobbled up the steps to the front door, watching silently as Daniel used her key to open it. Jack stood to her left and Teal'c was at her right, both offering her support. She followed Daniel and was almost through the door when a stream of images screamed through her head. She was back in her bedroom with Brian stood over her, kicking her, hurting her. She balked and backed quickly away from the door.

"I can't"

In her eagerness to escape from the vivid images that besieged her she stumbled on the porch steps behind her. Teal'c caught her in strong arms before she hit the ground, but quickly relinquished his hold when Jack wrapped his uninjured arm around her.

"Shhhh. It's only a flashback, I'm here baby" he whispered in her ear.

She slid her arms around his waist, trying to quiet her trembling body and suppress the sobs that caught in her throat.

"I can't go in there"

Jack nodded, he had expected this. He had imagined that the bringing her back here so soon would bring to the surface the memories that she was trying so hard to keep locked up. He hadn't thought the reaction would be so violent, but the culmination of years of abuse was finally catching up. He looked around, they were beginning to draw a crowd and he didn't doubt that in a neighborhood like this one that nearly half the block was well informed of the events of the last week. He looked down at the sobbing bundle in his arms, this was the last thing she needed right now, curious neighbors. He sighed.

"You can stay with me for a few days; we'll try this again when you're feeling better"

She looked up at him, her face filled with gratitude and he tried to smile at her. What he really need was to distance himself from her, try to sort out his feeling, making sure that any inappropriate ones were locked away. Having her in his house, sleeping in the room next to his, was only going to make things worse.


	7. Chapter 7

Jack sighed as he looked over her now sleeping form. The doctor had given her a sedative to calm her down and he had finally managed to get her to sleep. He felt his fist tighten as he recalled the overheard conversation between Milla and her father. He had made a call and had acquired a copy of her medical reports; the sheer quantity of 'unexplained' visits to the hospital was staggering. Since her eighth birthday till only a few months ago she had suffered more broken bones than he had in his entire air force career. He slumped into the chair by her bedside and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, his shoulder hurt. His small scuffle with General Blake and ripped out the stitches so carefully applied by Janet only days ago. The Doctor had dragged him away from her bedside long enough to stitch him up again and change the bloody dressing. He had chucked two of the pink capsules that Janet had given him into his mouth, swallowing them dry and hoping they would take effect soon. The throbbing was fading and he felt his eyes drifting shut.

Gentle snores pulled her from her dream free, sedative induced sleep. She looked over at the sleeping form slumped by her bed. His face was relaxed and his hair was standing up at all angles, giving him the appearance of a wayward school boy, and his soft snoring was endearing. A choked laugh escaped her lips making her wince at that pain that throbbed through her ribs, the sedative must be making her brain fuzzy, to make her think that the snores were endearing.

"No giggling"

"Sorry sir. You were snoring"

He gave her a scandalized look, arching his back slightly as he stretched, the bedside chair not designed for sleeping, and less for anyone his age.

"I do not snore"

She giggled again, the look her gave her was priceless, and she wished she had a camera handy. He grinned at her before jumping to his feet.

"Let's see if we can get you outta here and take you home"

******

Several hours later, after all the paperwork had been filled out and the doctors had given her enough bottles of pain medication to drop a rhino, he found himself helping her through the halls of the hospital and out into the parking lot. By the time they reached the car, where Daniel and Teal'c were waiting, she was leaning heavily on him as she hobbled towards the vehicle.

"We could have brought you out in a wheel chair" he commented, taking in the pain in her face.

The look she gave him almost knocked him off his feet. The determination he saw in her eyes was incredible, it was a look that said that after all she had been through she wasn't going to give up. Her strength made him fall deeper in love with her. 'Whoa!' his mind screamed 'Love!' He hadn't really thought about it up until this point, sure he was attracted to her, but in love with her? He looked down at her, her green eyes meeting his for a second as he helped her into the back seat of the car. His heart skipped a beat and his breathing quickened, yeah he was in love. She was beautiful and strong, so strong even after all she had been through, she was smart, funny, an excellent officer, and everything a guy could want. Everything that made her too good for him. He was old and bitter, and he carried too much excess baggage around. He sighed and slid into the seat next to her, she was too good for him and he tried not to feel his heart break as she leaned against his shoulder.

******

Her eyes had drifted closed as soon as she settled herself against Jack's shoulder, his strong muscular presence made her feel safe and she had quickly drifted to sleep. Now she could feel him shaking her awake, calling her name softly. Opening her eyes blearily to find his face close to her own, she longed to reach out and kiss him, but she heard Daniel's voice in the back ground, so she yawned and smiled at his instead.

"We're here"

She looked out the car window as they pulled up in front of her house, eager to get back into her home and sleep in her own bed. She pushed back the images that accompanied thoughts of her bed and tried not to blush as the object of her thoughts helped her out of the car. She grabbed her crutch and hobbled up the steps to the front door, watching silently as Daniel used her key to open it. Jack stood to her left and Teal'c was at her right, both offering her support. She followed Daniel and was almost through the door when a stream of images screamed through her head. She was back in her bedroom with Brian stood over her, kicking her, hurting her. She balked and backed quickly away from the door.

"I can't"

In her eagerness to escape from the vivid images that besieged her she stumbled on the porch steps behind her. Teal'c caught her in strong arms before she hit the ground, but quickly relinquished his hold when Jack wrapped his uninjured arm around her.

"Shhhh. It's only a flashback, I'm here baby" he whispered in her ear.

She slid her arms around his waist, trying to quiet her trembling body and suppress the sobs that caught in her throat.

"I can't go in there"

Jack nodded, he had expected this. He had imagined that the bringing her back here so soon would bring to the surface the memories that she was trying so hard to keep locked up. He hadn't thought the reaction would be so violent, but the culmination of years of abuse was finally catching up. He looked around, they were beginning to draw a crowd and he didn't doubt that in a neighborhood like this one that nearly half the block was well informed of the events of the last week. He looked down at the sobbing bundle in his arms, this was the last thing she needed right now, curious neighbors. He sighed.

"You can stay with me for a few days; we'll try this again when you're feeling better"

She looked up at him, her face filled with gratitude and he tried to smile at her. What he really need was to distance himself from her, try to sort out his feeling, making sure that any inappropriate ones were locked away. Having her in his house, sleeping in the room next to his, was only going to make things worse.


	8. Chapter 8

Daniel and Teal'c didn't stay long once they had arrived at Jack's house and soon the two were left alone.

"How 'bout you take a bath while I make us something to eat."

She groaned "That would be fantastic"

He ran the bath for her, tipping in generous amounts of bubbles and leaving a big fluffy towel and an oversized t-shirt on the counter slipped quietly from the room, closing the door behind him.

It took some maneuvering to get herself into the tub, luckily the doctors had put waterproof casts on both her arm and her leg knowing that the leg at least would take a long time to heal. She slipped gently into the hot water groaning in satisfaction as the bubbles caressed her body; it felt so good that she could even ignore the sting of the incision on her ribs. She sighed; she had to work up the courage to go back to her own home. If she stayed here and let Jack look after her she was in danger of falling even deeper in love with him. 'Love?' she thought. Yeah she was in love with him, she had begun to recognize it while she was in hospital, and she felt so safe in his presence. He was strong, caring, and gentle and way too good for her, she needed to put some distance between them to sort out her feelings.

Jack paid the pizza delivery boy and shut the door just as she appeared at the end of the hall. Her skin pink from the hot water, her hair falling in damp curls down to her waist and his old t-shirt barely reaching mid thigh. He had thought that with the cast on her leg she would be more comfortable with one of his old shirts, but her bare thighs were making him very uncomfortable. She hobbled towards him, a goofy grin on her face.

"I thought you were going to 'make' us something to eat"

He grinned sheepishly "After everything that happened this week there was nothing in my fridge that wasn't green or trying to escape. So pizza"

He held the pizza box aloft and lead the way into the den where he had already got a fire lit, taking the chill off the room. She sighed and lowered herself carefully onto the sofa, her uninjured leg curled up underneath her.

Jack gulped as his overlarge t-shirt slipped slightly up her leg, revealing more than he could comfortably deal with. She hadn't seemed to notice that his eyes had glued themselves to her upper thigh as he sat down next to her opening the pizza box and offering her a slice. She stared into the fire, her eyes sad as she ate.

They sat in easy silence neither feeling uncomfortable in the others presence, he swigged at his beer and handed her a soda before cleaning up the pizza box and napkins from the coffee table.

When he returned from the kitchen, there were tears falling silently down her cheeks. He slid onto the sofa next to her and she instinctively leaned into his arms burying her face in his shoulder. The t-shirt had slipped up even further and now only just covered what his body was begging to see. He shifted gently trying to inconspicuously rearrange himself. What was wrong with him, after all she had been through and he still couldn't control his reaction to her. She looked up at him when she had finished crying, angrily rubbing the tears off her face. She pulled herself up right.

"I'm sorry" she whispered.

He brushed a strand of damp hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, she looked far to young to have suffered everything that she had suffered.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I'm tired" she replied shaking her head.

"Come on"

He helped her up and showed her into the guest room, where he had already made the bed for her.

"I'm just down the hall if you need anything"

******

She moved carefully through the darkened house, she had heard something, she was sure of it. She felt his presence before she heard his approach. She turned slowly already fearing the worst, letting out a loud scream when she saw the belt swinging towards her and heard Brian's harsh laughing voice.

******

Her screams had him running towards her door even before he was properly awake. He burst through the door to find her sat up in bed and still screaming, she looked at him with frightened eyes as he burst through the door. Still half asleep her mind didn't recognize him; she let out another scream and tried to put distance between them, the plaster on her leg hindering her escape. He was across the room and pulling her gently into his embrace before she could react.

"Wake up baby, it was just a dream"

She gasped as her mind jolted from the nightmare that had made her scream and her entire body tremble.

"He's here. He's here in the house"

"Who's here?"

"Brian"

"He can't be Milla, the police still have him in custody"

She nodded slowly, her eyes still disbelieving but when he gently pushed her back on the pillows she allowed him to pull the covers up over her shoulders. He stood to leave, flicking the light off, but felt her hand on his arm.

"Stay with me?" her teary green eyes pleaded with him not to leave her alone "Please?"

He nodded slightly and slid into the bed next to her, pulling the covers up over them both. It wasn't until he was lying next to her that he realized his own state of undress, in his rush to her bedroom he had leapt from his bed in just his shorts. He grunted, he was a trained soldier, he could do this, and he could spend the whole night, almost naked, lying next to her almost naked body.

******

She stretch slightly as the last dregs of sleep fell from her body, she felt secure and warm.

"Please. No wriggling" he grunted through gritted teeth.

She giggled quietly as she realized that while they slept he had slipped his arms around her, her ass was now pressed firmly against his suspiciously hard groin and his hand which had slipped up inside the loose t-shirt she wore, was rested lightly on her stomach.

"Ummmm Jack?"

"It's my side arm. I swear"

She giggled again, her body bouncing slightly listening with a small amount of satisfaction as he groaned again.

"No giggling" he growled in her ear.

His fingers had begun to trace small circles over her firm stomach, now it was her turn to groan, the sound escaping her lips before she could stop it. She turned her head slightly and found his lips ready to meet hers, his tongue pushing forcefully into her mouth and dueling with her own. They separated, gasping, looking deeply into each other's eyes.

"As much as I would normally love this." He whispered "Neither of us is in any fit state to do anything other than drive ourselves crazy"

She pouted and pressed her body closer to his, rubbing against his hardness, but the deep ache in her leg and the sharp pain in her ribs told her he was right. She closed her eyes and groaned trying to relax her body and stop the throbbing that had begun between her legs.

He disentangled himself and planting a quick kiss on her lips slid out of the bed.

"I'll make breakfast" he grinned "Stay here"

She watched him leave, taking in his firm body. She grinned, she had never seen him in such a state of undress, and his hard soldier's body was a great way to start the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

He whistled tunelessly as he ambled around the kitchen, turning on the coffee, and chucking bread in the toaster. He sat down briefly at the kitchen table think over the mornings events, he could have died of embarrassment when he woke up and found that not only was her firm body pressed against his own but that his body had reacted in the typical way. He had hoped to remove himself from her bed before she woke up but then she had started wriggling and he realized that she was already awake. Then she had kissed him, or had he kissed her? He couldn't be sure, but he was sure that she hadn't kicked his sorry ass out of her bed. She had kissed him with the same passion and fire that he felt, he could still feel her lips pressed against his own, she tasted so sweet.

The bread popped out of the toaster, making him jump, in his quickness to retrieve it the sharp stab of pain in his shoulder reminded him of why he had gotten out of bed. His blood was coursing through his veins, and all of it still headed in one direction, he wanted to go back to her press her willing body under his own and spend the whole day making love to her. However he felt like crap and he could only guess that she would be feeling a thousand times worse. He groaned, pressing his forehead against the fridge before carefully lifting the tray, which now held toast and coffee, with one hand and strolled back in the direction of her bedroom.

She was sat up against the pillows when he reached the bedroom, eyes closed and taking deep, measured breaths. He guessed was trying to achieve what he had failed to do in the kitchen, calm his body and relieve some of the sexual tension that rushed through her veins. She was beautiful first thing in the morning with sleepy eyes and slightly mussed hair. She heard his approach and opened her eyes, gazing longingly at him. He grinned at her.

"Breakfast is served" He set the tray down gently across her lap and crawled back into the bed next to her, grabbing a slice of toast and biting into it.

"Great I'm starving" She tucked into the toast with an energy that startled him, it was a miracle that she still had that great figure with the amount of food she was capable of packing away. She gave him a light shove when she noticed his expression.

"Don't look at me like that. I've been eating hospital food for the last couple of days, what did you expect?"

As she reached for her coffee he noticed a mark on her wrist, strange that he had never noticed it before. He caught her hand in his own and turned her palm upwards to examine the mark. His face must have showed the shock he felt because she jerked her hand away, sliding it under the covers. He shook his head slightly he had seen scars like that before and he wouldn't mind betting that underneath the cast on her other wrist she had a matching one, deep and straight across the veins. He thought back to her medical files, he had only skimmed through but he couldn't remember anything that this being mentioned.

"Want to tell me about it"

She shook her head but the words tumbled from her mouth as though she was unable to stop them.

"Not much to tell really. I was….. 15 years old I think. My dad had hit me the day before and I had had to go school with bruises on my face. When I got home I was just so sick of everyone asking me what had happened, so sick of my father, so sick of my life and there was the knife on the kitchen counter. I don't know why I did it really, but I guess at the time it seemed like my only option. The cleaning lady found me in the end and called the ambulance, I nearly died on the way to the hospital. My father of course arrange for the details to be taken out of my medical file, very embarrassing for an air force general to come home and find that his daughter's slit her wrists"

She shrugged and ran her fingers over the scar and the words continued to fall from her mouth. She told him everything, from the first time he had beaten her to the night she had run away. Most of it had been in her file, but a few of the more terrible experiences were not, erased by her father to prevent his own embarrassment.

By the time she finished she was in his arms and the tears were running silently down her cheeks. He had shed a few as well although she hadn't noticed. How could this beautiful, brave soldier have come through everything that she had told him? He held her tightly while she cried, wishing he could make all the pain go away. He spoke too, telling her about some of his missions, and briefly touching on Charlie, at the mention of his son's name she had tightened her fingers around his and pulled him closer.

"I'm sorry" she whispered in his ear.

When he started to feel hungry again he realized that they had talked all morning and he was sure that the both felt better for it. She had told him things that had never told anyone and he had talked about his son for the first time in years. She had drifted off to sleep, the emotional retelling of her live had drained her and she was now snoring gently in his arms. He moved away gently deciding to go to the local supermarket while she was sleeping and restock the fridge.

******

A loud crash brought her jolting out of her dream free sleep, accompanied by the smell of cooking. She could her Jack cursing in the kitchen and giggled. She felt better, lighter somehow, as though by telling the things that had kept secret all these year she had unburdened herself. She slipped out of bed and after a visit to the bathroom, padded down stairs. The smells that emanated from the kitchen were delicious and Jack covered from head to toe in flour was even more delicious. Laughter was tumbling from her lips before she could stop herself; he turned on her, a look of mock anger on his face, before he too dissolved into laughter.

"You try cooking with one arm!" She smiled he even had flour in his hair.

"Between the two of us we've got two good arms, let's see if we can sort this mess out"

******

He smiled at her across the table, in the end dinner hadn't been too bad, and between the two of them they had managed to salvage most of it. She looked better, more color had returned to her cheeks and she smiled easily. He took her hand gently in his own, smiling at her.

"Why didn't you ever go to the police, Milla?"

She shrugged.

"When I was with my father, I didn't think anyone would believe me. And Brian frightened me even more than me father did, he told me he'd kill me if I went to the police."

He squeezed her hand, he'd never been good with words but he was beginning to understand that it wasn't his words that she needed, it was his presence and his protection. She needed to feel safe and loved for the first time in her life.

"I think you should report your father. He deserves to pay for what he did, even if that just means a dishonorable discharge. The air force doesn't look kindly on allegations of that sort."

She started to shake her head by he held his hand up silencing her. He moved from the table and knelt by her side.

"I'll be with you all the way baby. I…..I love you"

She looked startled, her eyes filling with tears ad her lips lifting into the most brilliant smile that he had ever seen. She threw her arms around his neck, smacking the back of his head with her cast.

"I love you too Jack" she whispered in her ear. She pulled away rubbing her fingers through his hair.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No" he smiled and pulled her into his arms again, he never wanted to let her go.

"I'll do it" she said "I want to feel safe all the time, not only when I'm with you. Will you take me tomorrow to make a statement against my father?"

He nodded and smiled, glad that she had finally seen sense, she would never feel safe until both Brian and he father were behind bars. But it was nice to know that for the moment she at least felt safe with him.

"Let's go to bed, it's getting late"

He helped her up and guided her towards his bedroom; he figured that his bed was bigger so they'd be more comfortable.

"No giggling or wriggling" he warned as he slid into bed next to her sliding his arm around her waist.


	10. Chapter 10

The day of Brian's trial was bright and sunny. Jack squeezed Milla's fingers gently as she slipped hand into his. She shivered slightly as she was called into the court room to give her statement, looking back over her shoulder at him as the doors closed. He couldn't go with her, he wished he could, but they were both here to testify and so were not allowed in the room while the trial was in progress.

She was crying when she stepped from the room, and fell into his arms, sobbing gently. Jack tried desperately to reign in his anger. Why did she have to go through this?

"It's ok baby. They'll make sure he doesn't get out for a long time"

When they called him to the stand he stood and straightened his dress blues, and giving her a quick kiss entered the court room. He glared at Brian, who was looking uncomfortable, and spared a warning glance at Milla's father who had turned up to defend his subordinate. His evidence was taken quickly and he returned to Milla's side to await the verdict.

8 years without parole. Jack grinned at Milla and hugged her tightly to his chest.

"You did good baby" he whispered in her ear, briefly kissing the lobe making her shiver

******

Jack knocked gently on Hammond's door. They were due back on active duty tomorrow and there were some things that needed sorting out.

"Colonel?"

Jack gave the general a brief explanation of all that had happened between himself and Milla, deftly laying all the blame at his own feet.

The General's eyes grew wider and wider, but his face quickly softened and he smiled at Jack.

"In…. 2 weeks Captain Carter arrives back, and Captain Blake will no longer be under your direct command. I'm standing SG1 down until Captain Carter arrives back and we'll talk about this again in 2 weeks."

Jack smiled, saluting tightly before leaving the room. The General would deny all knowledge of their relationship until such time as Milla was no longer under his direct command.

******

They spent the next two weeks enjoying their free time, getting to know each other's bodies and enjoying each other's company.

The night before Carter's return he treated her to a home cooked dinner and the talked over plans for the welcome back party SG1 were planning. The room flickered softly with the light of the candles he had lit on the table and her cheeks glowed with satisfaction as she finally pushed her plate away.

"Jack, I didn't know you could cook so well"

He grinned at her and cleared the plates from the table, coming back from the kitchen with two glasses of Champaign.

"I wanted tonight to be special" he whispered, handing her the glass of Champaign and kneeling next to her.

She leaned over to kiss him but he pushed her back, rummaging in his pocket and producing a tiny box. Her eyes widened and her hands shook.

"Milla, I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I love you, and everything we've been through has taught me that life is too short to waste time. I love you baby. Will you marry me?"

He flipped the box open to reveal a simple diamond ring; he lifted the ring from its velvet cushion and slipped it onto her waiting finger. She sobbed and threw herself into his arms.

"Yes Jack, yes"

He pulled her close and buried his nose in her hair, his lips finding the spot behind her ear that drove her crazy.

"I'll never let you go" .


End file.
